Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Part II, Chapter II second draft

David sat in the last row of his mother’s mini-van. His closest family members were all surrounding him, all of them wearing the same basic ensemble most appropriate for grieving. The black and white pieces of various clothing, mixed and matched in ways that varied from person to person. Even David was dressed to play his part.

He looked around quietly to take in the scene in front of him. The air within the car held a sort of somber tone, as they made their way to the funeral home. Everyone was together yet separated. Trapped within their own little worlds of sorrow. David understood that the adults, being the only ones to really remember his grandfather were in fact truly taking this the hardest. But it was his cousins that he wondered about the most. Whether or not their behavior was out of respect or a collective state of melancholy influenced by their parents had yet to be determined.

David then shifted his attention to the window directly to his left, deciding that focusing too much on it would be a waste. Instead he preferred his head to go on about the past two weeks’ activities…

He had almost turned into a madman. He kept rolling the events of that day in his mind, over and over again, adamant on figuring out what it was and how to re-induce it. His many online searches and New-Age book readings finally brought him some kind of an outcome. Four days after the news of his Grandfather’s passing, David sat in bed thinking about all he had read. His investigation had lead him to the topic of out of body experiences or OBEs for short and so he began to weigh out the possibilities of it being the answer to his problems.

Around a good five minutes into his mental debate, he felt the sweet of call of sleep begin to set in. He did not bother to fight it, he merely just embraced it and fell into a merry slumber, or so he thought. The next thing he remembered was that he awoke. Only thing was it was not his body that was awake. He could feel that part of himself still in the same position he dozed off in, but this, this was something new. This new part of him, the him he embodied now was slightly hovering over the bed. There was a sort of dual presence within him. One that knew and understood the shape that was still on the bed and another that was really just a blob of conciseness. They were in so many ways connected and distant. And he felt all of it. After the brief sense of interest and amusement he held towards being in this state, the bubble of enthusiasm soon broke. He was over come by a sense of fear that accompanied being exposed in such a way. His mind started to think about all of the negative stories he read about people never re-attaching themselves, apparent demons that walked the earth in search of opportunities for harm. All of this made him scramble – for lack of a better word – back to his body, eager to fix the semi-spilt pieces of himself. That panic stayed with him long after he was safely grounded back into his rightful place. And yet, through all of that anxiety his sense of wonder returned. He seemed even more fascinated now, confidant that he was on the right path.

His bout of reminiscence had ended. He looked around himself again to find that everyone was starting to pile out of the car. They had reached the home. One of his younger cousins had turned to him and asked if he was coming. David quickly murmured a sound of affirmation and followed behind, wishing that the day would be over as quickly and painlessly as possible.

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A freshman at Susquehanna University, pursuing interests in technology, language and the social sciences.
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